Dear Hernia friends,
My name is Marian Marco-Cristian, I’m a 4th-year general surgery resident from Romania with great interest and passion for abdominal wall surgery. I want to thank EHS for the great opportunity to visit one of the greatest centres of hernia surgery in Europe in Reims, France under the supervision of Prof. Yohann Renard.
Prof. Jean Rives was the Chief of the University Surgical Department at Reims University Hospital and later the founder of a modern, renowned School of Surgery. The method of prosthetics of the anterior abdominal wall proposed more than 50 years ago, in 1955-1956 by Prof. Rives and Prof. Stoppa was an ideological breakthrough in herniology and significantly improved the results of operations for abdominal hernias.
During my time spent in Reims, I had the chance to see a large number of surgical interventions, most of them complex incisional hernia repairs, assisting in pre and postoperative consultations, a hands-on laparoscopic cadaveric course, the BTA injection and PPP technique for giant incisional hernias with loss of domain. Prof. Yohann Renard welcomed me warmly and made me feel at home every second.
The first week was highlighted by multiple surgical interventions and pre/postoperative consultations, but the second week was even more interesting. I had the chance to attend a laparoscopic hands-on cadaveric course for OR nurses in the Laboratory of Anatomy led by Prof. Renard. Next, I attended a full-day robotic surgery for different recurrent/bilateral and complex inguinal hernias.
The second week, I had the chance to meet Prof. Jean-Marc Malinovsky, one of Prof. Renard’s collaborators. I’ve seen it up close and even learned the technique they use for preoperative botulinum toxin A injection in complex abdominal wall reconstruction. For the 2 patients who underwent the procedure, we also performed the Progressive preoperative pneumoperitoneum (PPP) technique for several days. Both patients had giant incisional hernias with loss of domain.
It proved to be an inspiring experience. Prof. Renard shared valuable knowledge that I plan to implement in my current approach, based on his valuable insights and recommendations.
This was a great opportunity for me to expand my horizons in the field of hernia surgery and establish meaningful connections with colleagues from renowned European surgical centers. I’m excited about the knowledge I’ve gained and the potential for future collaborations. I look forward to continuing to grow in my profession.
Thank you EHS,
MARIAN Marco M.D.
